Inside Pepper's

Pepper's Newsletter March 19, 2019

Good morning! Sunday, as you know, was St. Patrick's Day and that warrants a few fun facts about the day celebrating the Patron Saint of Ireland:

St. Patrick was not Irish. He was from Wales.

St. Patrick was born “Maewyn Succat” but changed his name to “Patricius” after becoming a priest.

St. Patrick didn’t wear green. His colour was “Saint Patrick’s blue.” The colour green became associated with St. Patrick’s Day after it was linked to the Irish independence movement in the late 18th century.

So if you raised a glass of Guinness (by the way, the global daily total consumption of this stout doubles on St. Patrick's Day!), said the Irish blessing (the weather was beautiful so hopefully the sun shone warm upon your face), cranked up The Cranberries and ate a big hunk of corned beef on Sunday, we hope you had a great day!

"Get to the good stuff!" you may be yelling at the screen and by that you mean, "Tell us about the new products!" Okay, take it easy! We'll get to that in a second. But first, we need to mention the Easter Colouring Contest that we hold every year. Starting on March 21st, kids can ask for a picture to colour based on their age group for a chance to win one of the awesome giant stuffies displayed along the top of the deli cooler just inside the front doors. We'll post every amazing entry around the store and our judges will pick the best per age category!

Alright, here we go...

30 years ago, two brothers (Peter and Chris Neal) started a company making croutons (of all things) in their mother's kitchen. That company (based out of Richmond Hill, Ontario) was named Neal Brothers (of all things) and they've gone on to create a great and vast array of amazing and tasty organic products. Pepper's has added two new Neal Brothers Organic Pasta Sauces in Roasted Garlic and Basil Tomato Bliss flavours. Their motto: Extraordinary taste. Simple ingredients. So good together. 'Nuff said.

*We should mention that we have Neal Brothers Organic Salsas in our flyer this week for $4.96 each!

Did you know that Vancouver Island Salt Company is Canada's first sea salt harvestry? It's true. And because this island just so happens to be surrounded with clean, cold Pacific ocean seawater, there is no shortage of all-natural salt to be hand harvested. Pepper's has been carrying a broad line of this company's sea salt (available in numerous infusions) since the beginning and now, we have two new ones on the shelves. Vancouver Island Salt Company Old School Coffee Salt is sea salt infused with 49th Parallel's Old School espresso beans, creating a flavourful and aromatic salt ideal for steaks, chops, wild game and root vegetables. Or you can use as a topping for ice cream, brownies, cookies or anything chocolate!

Vancouver Island Salt Company Barrel Smoked Whiskey Salt is smoked using aged, single malt whiskey barrels from their neighbours at Shelter Point Distillery imparting a deep smokey flavour with vanilla notes. Use on grilled meats, vegetables, tofu dishes or as a cocktail rimmer.

Sometimes it's nice to lean entirely on the description of a product as it's described from the company website. That's the case here for Arla Cream Cheese with Herbs and Spices which is the latest addition to the other two that Pepper's already carries (Organic and Light): Take delight in the piquant tones of naturally tasty Arla Cream Cheese with Herbs and Spices. Richly flavored with a reduced fat content of 15.5%, and complete with notes of warm peppercorns, spicy paprika and a slightly sour tang, this delicious Arla Natural Cream Cheese – made from only four natural ingredients and no artificial additives – is the perfect go-to partner for dips, or even as spread for buns, sandwiches and wraps!

Another great new product from Arla (to compliment the Regular and Light that we already stock) is Apetina Feta Cheese Cubes Red Bell Peppers & Chili. Sweet red bell peppers and spicy chilis combine with this fresh, slightly salty feta cheese to create something that will liven up any greek salad or dish where regular feta is required. And there's a built-in strainer in the container!

Little Northern Bakehouse makes delicious gluten-free, vegan bread using only the finest non-GMO ingredients. It's one of the most popular bread product lines in Peppers which is why we've broaded your selection to include two more kinds: Little Northern Bakehouse Sprouted 7 Grain Bread and Little Northern Bakehouse Sprouted Honey Oat Bread. Made with a special blend of healthy sprouted grains, this allergy-friendly bread is soft and delicious!

Naan is a leavened flatbread whose name originated in Persia (yet another tidbit of trivia). And we've added another variety to our already extensive lineup. New Indian Life Organic Whole Wheat Naan is 100% oranic, vegan and nutritious. You can eat it with soups, curries, as a pizza crust, for gyros or pan fry and eat with salsa (which we already mentioned is on sale this week!) or applesauce. Also delicious with coconut oil, butter or margarine. However you decide to eat it, you're getting the goodness of whole wheat!

Chia is an Aztec "super seed" that's high in protein and Omega-3 essential fatty acids. That's good news for those who like chia and making wraps because Indian Life Organic Chia Wrap is here! Each wrap has five grams of fibre, is low in sugar (one gram) and tastes great!

This entire newsletter has, so far, consisted of everything savoury so we've saved the last for all you sweet-tooths out there. In recent weeks and months we've told you about all the new varieties that Christie's Oreo cookies are coming in: Mickey Mouse, Double Stuff, The Most Stuf, Fudge Covered, you name it...Variety definitely is the spice of life but this is getting a bit ridiculous. So it makes perfect sense that yet another variety would be unveiled: Christie's Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Oreo. Admittedly, this one does look pretty darn good. It's a peanut butter and chocolately flavour creme sandwich cookie like no other. Binge watching your favourite shows on Netflix just got that much more appealing!

As Dennis Miller would famously say to end his Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live, "That's the news and I'm outta here!"